


build me up, buttercup.

by junfhongs



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fluff, Goddess Tower (Fire Emblem), Making Out, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Shyness, Sparring, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Wooing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:26:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23361670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junfhongs/pseuds/junfhongs
Summary: it took a lot of effort, but Felixfinallyasked to be part of Byleth's class. still, the professor was just a little too happy to have the swordsman on board, but she did not think anyone would notice her tactics on how she lured him in.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 74





	build me up, buttercup.

"Professor, I just don't understand why you saw the need to recruit him to our class." Edelgard huffed. "If we're talking about swordsmanship, I don't think Petra is lacking in any way. And if we're talking about demeanor…" Edelgard glared at the dark cloud following Felix around as he picked up after himself and left the dining hall in a rush, presumably to go back to the training grounds to find another dummy to decimate this afternoon. 

Byleth took a sip from her goblet and sighed. "Edelgard, give him a chance. He's only been in the Black Eagles for a week. He'll warm up." At Hubert's sneer at Byleth's peripheral view, she sighed once more. _"Eventually."_

Edelgard tapped her feet on the floor, another obvious sign of annoyance. She was prone to that nowadays, though Byleth couldn't guess why. "Besides, I didn't recruit him. He asked to transfer, and I realized the Battle of the Eagle and Lion is coming up." Byleth glanced at the students from the other houses, how their numbers dwindled as more and more students asked to transfer to Byleth's house. "One less student in their roster is one less student to worry about."

Edelgard smiled now, nodding in agreement. "Well, I guess I should trust your judgement, professor."

"Thank you." Byleth picked up her plate and goblet. "And please… be nice. He'll adjust, really."

Byleth cleaned up after herself and left to walk around in the monastery. She still had a lot of free time; there was a lot she could do. Being a professor, as unexperienced as she was prior to this opportunity, was a lot different from what she expected. Then again, the Officers Academy was not a regular school, and these were not regular students. It felt kind of insane to be training children in the art of war, but the Ashen Demon herself wasn't the right person to criticize that idea, not with her own background and childhood.

Still, thinking about what to do in a day was… taxing, _more_ taxing than any of the activities she could actually use her time on. So she fell back into an old routine, something that gave her comfort because it was the only thing that reminded her of her old life.

The training grounds were rarely empty, no thanks to Byleth's newest student. She knew he'd be here, but she didn't come here _for_ him. Having a ready sparring partner was just… a benefit to this unspoken arrangement.

Practicing her stealth was a pretty interesting exercise though. Felix, as usual, was wholly focused on his target at the moment: a poor dummy that clearly had signs of being repaired repeatedly, _no thanks to Felix,_ of course. This gave Byleth the perfect elements to conduct a proper observation, focused on the way Felix moved, every strike of his sword or shift of his feet.

For _educational purposes,_ obviously. Observer effects were not applicable in naturalistic observation; there must have been errors that Byleth couldn't catch if she were participating in this session.

Felix stopped, brushed the dust off his pants, and held his sword loosely. "Enough hiding," he said, scanning his surroundings to figure out exactly where Byleth was.

"Good job. A few months ago, it took my misstep for you to even notice someone else was here." Byleth took a training sword from the rack and walked towards the light, where Felix was waiting with an expectant smirk. "Your footwork still needs some practice. And—" Byleth quickly swung her leg towards his thigh, causing Felix to stumble and huff in shock. "Your stance. More stability, core strength."

"I see," Felix said dryly, tips of his ears growing just the lightest shade of pink at Byleth's demonstration. "Well, let's save that for a proper training session. For now, care to spar, professor?" His tone was casual, his expression was smug, but the way he adopted a fighting stance told Byleth that he really wasn't expecting any other answer. "You brought that sword yourself, anyway."

Byleth allowed a little smile to grace her lips. "Prepare yourself," she said, and all trace of emotion left her face as they began.

There was something relaxing about this situation. They often found themselves here, with Felix constantly asking Byleth to spar with him some more, tell him how to improve, teach him more and more how to fight like her. Byleth was used to receiving respect from her students; they respected her as a professor, an authority figure that they _had_ to treat that way. But Felix… he respected her as a professor, yes, but more so as a fellow fighter, someone who fought out of necessity and eventually turned it into an art form.

In a way, that made her feel like he was a peer, someone who she equally respected as she watched him grow and improve. Then again, that was a dangerous thought, and she didn't have to be reminded that there was a _safe_ distance to be kept between her and her students.

Felix lost to her, obviously, sprawled on the ground after she caused him to lose his balance yet again. There was satisfaction in Byleth's shaky breath as she pressed the tip of her sword against Felix's chest. "Concede," she said, voice deep and breathy with exertion.

There was stiffness in Felix's jaw, as if he still didn't want to admit defeat. He sighed, eventually, knowing that this was not his first loss and it wouldn't be his last. "I concede."

Byleth cast her sword aside and tilted her head, finger tapping her chin as she thought of what to say. "Once again, it's your balance that got you here. I already mentioned stability and core strength earlier, so that's covered. Though your speed is definitely improving, and you listened when I told you to mind the momentum of your swings to easily pick it back up for another. Good job on that."

Felix grunted, and that was enough of a 'thank you' for Byleth. She offered him a hand to help him up. As soon as he found himself on his feet, his free hand landed on Byleth's waist, steadying himself as she told him to. He was close, _very close,_ close enough for Byleth to care about the way she breathed, about the way she stood, about the way her face was starting to warm up at his proximity.

For some reason, Felix would not let up, though Byleth was eye-level with his blushing ears. "I… would ask you for another round, but after a week in your class, I can already feel how much Professor Hanneman lacked in terms of my training." He smiled, soft but bright enough to reach his eyes. "I guess I made the right decision, choosing you."

"Glad to hear that," Byleth said, as flatly as she could, but she was afraid that the beating of her heart was catching up to her voice. What… was _really_ going on?

"And another thing…" This time, it was Felix who avoided meeting Byleth's eyes, and the growing redness of his ears told Byleth this was _not_ going to be an easy conversation. "Uh, a lecherous fiend—"

"Sylvain, obviously."

Felix chuckled at that, good. "Yes, _that one,_ he told me that you, uh… _wooed me_ into joining your class."

Byleth… blinked in response. "I _what?_ "

"Wooed me," said Felix, dry and hesitant. "The, uh, meals and random gifts and chasing after me to return things I dropped all over the monastery. Just to convince me to transfer to your house." His hand was still on Byleth's waist, and he reflexively squeezed in nervousness. "Is he… telling the truth?"

Now, it was Byleth's turn to blush, to stumble on her words at Sylvain's… _ridiculous_ accusations. "No, I just— there was no _wooing_ involved. Well, I mean, for the meals, we usually ate together after we sparred. That's perfectly natural." She _refused_ to look at his expression. "And the items you dropped, why— why wouldn't I return them if I knew they were yours? The lost and found in this academy is quite ineffective, you know."

"Okay," he replied. His voice was soft, but Byleth was still staring straight ahead; she couldn't tell if it was soft because of hesitation or because of well-concealed laughter at Byleth's glowing red cheeks. "And the gifts?"

This time, Byleth mustered the courage to look at him, and somehow the avoidance from earlier made her forget how _close_ they actually were to each other. A part of her wanted to pull away, to bring back the space they both probably needed, but a part of her was starting to settle here, the way Felix's hand was settling on her waist.

"You mentioned that you liked those things. I— there was no one else I thought of giving them to."

_ Oh no, _ Byleth thought to herself as the alarms started ringing in her head, the ones that alerted her of Felix's surprised eyes and the little smile on his face as he processed her words. Of course, Byleth cared about the things he said, everything he mentioned in their conversations between sparring or the banter that they shared as they ate. Of course, Byleth was most comfortable around him compared to all her other students, and sometimes she wanted to give back, even if gifts given in awkward silence and smiles were all she could think of.

"You're very thoughtful, professor." His voice was quiet, soft. His words were… gentler than usual, none of the usual angry, abrasive comments that Byleth started to expect from him. Somehow this reminded her that Felix was still just a boy, someone who hadn't processed something deep and dark and angry within him, someone who had a goal and was willing to be harsh—even and _especially_ towards himself—just to achieve it.

"Well," Byleth cleared her throat, "in the end, transferring was still the best decision you made," she said, desperate to make some space between them before she did something like hug him or pinch his cheeks or _kiss him,_ goddess, that would be _awful_.

"Agreed," said Felix, _finally_ letting go of Byleth's waist. "I'm going back to my room. Goodbye, professor."

"Bye," she replied, heart still racing at… whatever all of _that_ was.

Well, this wasn't even much of a discussion. Felix was her student. Her _student!_ This became even more complicated because he transferred to her class. She was _directly responsible_ for his education now, none of those extracurricular, unnecessary interactions they had before. Byleth had to be serious about this, and so she was _seriously_ going to shove every thought, every sensation, every emotion straight down into the abyss where they all belonged.

_ "But you are still thinking about him, are you not?"  _ Sothis retorted in the back of her mind, now laughing at the way Byleth huffed and stormed out of the training grounds with a bright blush coloring her cheeks.

———

Byleth was a little dizzy after being spun around by Claude and some of her students all night. This was _their_ ball; why wasn't she allowed to sit this one out?

She sighed, cool wind of the monastery at night reminding her that this was a peaceful place, once upon a time. Now it was a factory of warriors and warlords, but Byleth was tired of thinking about that. Now she just wanted some peace and quiet— and to satisfy a curiosity of hers.

There were a lot of stories, legends about the Goddess Tower. It was mostly the female students talking about it, but some of the lovestruck boys that were aiming to make a move were busy fantasizing about it in class as well. Byleth decided to say, 'fuck it', and went up for the sake of it.

She didn't expect to see anyone there, and she _certainly_ didn't expect it to be Felix.

"Oh, look who it is."

He was staring at the sky earlier, and the way he looked at the stars lingered in the way he gazed at Byleth's arrival. He didn't seem to mind making small talk now, allowing Byleth to lean on the wall beside him and gaze out at the monastery and the night sky. Even when he made some dumb promise about _surpassing Byleth_ or another one of his stupidly competitive remarks, Byleth was comfortable enough to smile, to laugh at his own ridiculousness.

Felix turned his gaze towards her again, eyes lingering on her lips. "I've… never seen you laugh so openly, professor." There was something heavy about the way he swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's a good look on you."

Being here, high up from the ground, away from the noise and the people and the rest of the world, illuminated only by moonlight— it felt like they were in a different world, in _their_ world. And in this world, Byleth allowed herself to break some of her rules.

"You know," she started, grabbing Felix's attention immediately, "I loathe to admit that Sylvain was right, but I did woo you." Felix's mouth formed a pretty circle as his eyes widened in surprise at the candid admission. "I just didn't feel comfortable around any of the students yet. It was… nice to find a fellow warrior amidst everyone else here."

Felix chuckled, lowering his gaze and shaking his head. "You didn't see me as a noble brat, like the rest of them?"

Byleth shook her head, now brave enough to hold Felix's wrist. There was a scar here, a deep cut from the battle a month ago. The bandit swung just as was lifting his arm up; luckily it didn't hit anything important. Still, Byleth remembered the panic in her chest as she saw Felix wrapping his wrist with a scrap from his own torn shirt, wincing as he made his way to Linhardt. She remembered the way she rushed to him even if she didn't have to, the way he laughed and shook his head waved her away with a sneer that said, _'Don't be stupid. Keep fighting in my stead.'_

"No," Byleth said. "You didn't want to be a noble brat; why would I treat you like one? I always saw you as what you wanted to be, what you were trying to be. You're a lot stronger than you think, Felix."

He met her eyes now, bright and beautiful. "And you did all of that… why?"

Well, if Byleth was breaking her rules tonight, she might as well go all the way. "Because I wanted you around, Felix. I wanted you to want to be around me as well."

Felix… chuckled, a slow smile growing on his handsome face. All his sharp features seemed to soften as he fully stared into Byleth's eyes, dragging her into his world as well. "You didn't have to… try so hard, you know. To make me… want to be around you. To make me want…" He trailed off again, the blush on his face revealing everything he didn't need to say anymore.

Somehow, this just reminded Byleth that Felix was still just a boy, someone who was struggling to deal with something deep and dark and angry within him, but also just someone who struggled to express how he felt, especially when it came to things like these. Byleth was kind of like that too, but she knew what this yearning in her chest was telling her to do, and Sothis didn't have to come and tell her exactly what that was for her to reach out to Felix's cheek with her free hand and lean in for a soft kiss.

Felix melted in her touch, his other arm wrapping around her waist to pull her close. Pressing against each other, holding each other close, it felt just like their sparring sessions, growing more and more heated as they went on, as less and less people stayed to watch them dance around each other over and over again. Somehow this felt like a natural progression of those sessions, something that was bound to happen even if they were trying their best to delay the fall.

He let go of her hand and reached up to cradle her head, gaining control of the kiss. His rough palm rested against her neck, guiding them back until it was Byleth leaning against the wall, allowing Felix to have his way. Her hands slid over his shoulders, letting her weight drag him down and push him harder against her. Her hands wandered up, up, up, until the tangled in Felix's locks, his hair tie sliding off and flying away somewhere. Byleth savored the kiss, savored the grip she had on Felix, savored the moment and how it could have lasted forever.

But it didn't. And when Felix pulled away to breathe, Byleth knew that was the right time to pull away before they got too carried away. "Felix," she whispered softly, hands resting on his chest.

"I know," he said, voice deeper than it had ever been. "I know."

"And I'm sorry that I wasn't honest. About my intentions." She bit her lip, now red and shiny with Felix's kisses. "About my feelings."

"Apology accepted," Felix leaned down to kiss Byleth again, just a soft peck that left Byleth wanting even more, _"professor."_

Byleth groaned and leaned her head back against the wall. "Right. _That's_ complicated. But," her hand slid up to cup his jaw, "do we have to think about that right now?" Her other hand tangled her fingers in his locks, soft and smooth as Byleth cradled the back of his head.

Felix hummed, pretended to think as Byleth waited for a response that she already knew was coming. "No, I don't really want to right now," he murmured as he dove back in for a kiss.

Somehow, that night was a little more magical than they expected, in a room at the top of the world, far away from the people that knew them differently. In truth, later that night, they made a new promise in the Goddess Tower, a promise to find themselves and to find each other someday again, when things were less complicated, when they were who they wanted to be, when they could be with who they wanted to be.

A lofty promise, yes, but apparently the Tower's legend was just as true as they said it would be.

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO this is my first fire emblem fic and i am NERVOUS but it is ok because i love my boy felix so much and i just want to write about shyness and kisses <3
> 
> also i churned this out in 3 hrs pls forgive me for any errors and such ill proofread when im less dead LOL
> 
> follow me on [twitter (@amenochieien)](https://twitter.com/amenochieien) or talk to me on [curiouscat (/amenochieien)](https://curiouscat.me/amenochieien)!! (i just want to make more fe3h friends pls hit me up <33


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